I recently came across a blog that has some interesting insight into the case of the 16 year old boy in Tracy, California. According to police the boy had been missing since May 2007, when he fled a Sacramento foster home. It seems disturbing that all of what happened to this boy was actually under the “watchful eye of the state”. Isn’t there a better way? The concept of foster parenting is actually a system that works, at least when there’s common sense involved. It seems though, that common sense has left the building and the red tape and bureaucracy of government have stepped in. Not to say that the people within the welfare system don’t have a heart(I think they really do). It really seems that a grass roots approach would be a better approach. A system that is truly grounded in the community and accountable to the community. Churches and para-church organizations would seem like logical and feasible options. I know they work because I’ve seen them working firsthand. I know these are complicated issues, and there is not a “One size fits all” type of answer. I challenge anyone with a heart for kids to step forward and make a difference in the life of a child. My wife and I care for a child whose mother is currently incarcerated,(Believe me) its not the easiest job in the world, but its WORTH IT!
A blog by Jennifer Nelson on the Sacramento Bee website
